First published 2023
Salena Barone has escaped her family's grip and landed above the D'Angelo restaurant where she works as manager. The apartment gives her freedom, but her salary barely covers the bills. She starts a secret side business that brings in serious money but would shock everyone if they discovered it. Ryan Rutledge rides a motorcycle and sports tattoos, nothing like his wealthy wine family expects. He avoids commitment and the family business, preferring to help working people in his own way. At a Rutledge-D'Angelo wedding, Salena and Ryan lock eyes and feel immediate chemistry. Their casual arrangement grows deeper as they spend more time together. Salena's hidden work creates mounting tension as she falls for Ryan. She must decide whether to reveal her secrets to family, friends, and the man she's learning to love, risking the future she never thought she wanted.
Genres: romance, adult-fiction, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: D'Angelo Restaurant
Period: 21st-century
363 pages · Paperback · Montlake